What do you think?
Rate this book
Christopher Columbus
This is one of the most enthralling and all-encompassing biographies ever written about Christopher Columbus, the man who changed the course of world history with his voyages over the Atlantic Ocean.
Renowned history writer John S. C. Abbott takes the reader on a no-holds-barred—and remarkably objective—ride from Columbus’s background and life, to his struggle in the courts of Portugal and Spain to gain acceptance for his radical idea of sailing west to reach the east—and the astonishing details of his four voyages to the New World and their aftermath.
Abbott spares no detail in highlighting the bravery, achievements, and staggering feats which paved the way for European colonization of the New World. But he also deals equally dispassionately with the less savory aspects which followed the Spanish settlements—such as the fact that most of Columbus’s crews were criminals recruited only with the promise of pardons, the institution of slavery, and the resultant practical extermination of the Indians on the Caribbean islands.
Throughout this breathtaking narrative, Abbott never loses touch with the human aspects of Columbus’s life, and ends with an assessment which gives an indication of the struggles and tribulations faced by the simple man from Genoa:
“His eventful life was, on the whole, one of the most joyless and full of trouble of which we have any record. That he had his faults all will admit. That those blemishes of character were redeemed by many and exalted virtues, few candid minds will deny.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER I. Struggles of his Early Life
CHAPTER II. First Voyage
CHAPTER III. Land Discovered
CHAPTER IV. A Tour among the Islands
CHAPTER V. Romantic Adventures
CHAPTER VI. The Return Voyage
CHAPTER VII. The Second Voyage
CHAPTER VIII. Life at Hispaniola
CHAPTER IX. The Coast of Cuba Explored
CHAPTER X. The Return to Spain, and the Third Voyage
CHAPTER XI. The Return to Spain, and the Fourth Voyage
CHAPTER XII. The Shipwreck at Jamaica
CHAPTER XIII. The Closing Scenes of Life
FOOTNOTES
Renowned history writer John S. C. Abbott takes the reader on a no-holds-barred—and remarkably objective—ride from Columbus’s background and life, to his struggle in the courts of Portugal and Spain to gain acceptance for his radical idea of sailing west to reach the east—and the astonishing details of his four voyages to the New World and their aftermath.
Abbott spares no detail in highlighting the bravery, achievements, and staggering feats which paved the way for European colonization of the New World. But he also deals equally dispassionately with the less savory aspects which followed the Spanish settlements—such as the fact that most of Columbus’s crews were criminals recruited only with the promise of pardons, the institution of slavery, and the resultant practical extermination of the Indians on the Caribbean islands.
Throughout this breathtaking narrative, Abbott never loses touch with the human aspects of Columbus’s life, and ends with an assessment which gives an indication of the struggles and tribulations faced by the simple man from Genoa:
“His eventful life was, on the whole, one of the most joyless and full of trouble of which we have any record. That he had his faults all will admit. That those blemishes of character were redeemed by many and exalted virtues, few candid minds will deny.”
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
CHAPTER I. Struggles of his Early Life
CHAPTER II. First Voyage
CHAPTER III. Land Discovered
CHAPTER IV. A Tour among the Islands
CHAPTER V. Romantic Adventures
CHAPTER VI. The Return Voyage
CHAPTER VII. The Second Voyage
CHAPTER VIII. Life at Hispaniola
CHAPTER IX. The Coast of Cuba Explored
CHAPTER X. The Return to Spain, and the Third Voyage
CHAPTER XI. The Return to Spain, and the Fourth Voyage
CHAPTER XII. The Shipwreck at Jamaica
CHAPTER XIII. The Closing Scenes of Life
FOOTNOTES
345 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1875
8 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
John S.C. Abbott
241 books25 followersJohn Stevens Cabot Abbott (Andover Theological Seminary; Bowdoin College, 1825) was a historian, Congregationalist pastor, and pedagogical writer. With his brothers, including Gorham and Jacob Abbott, he was a co-founder of Abbott Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies in New York City.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 12, 2012
Leest verrassend makkelijk weg voor een boek uit 1875. Abbott maakt zich af en toe schuldig aan het ophemelen van zijn onderwerp (onverschrokken, visionair, waardig etc etc) maar sluit ook zijn ogen niet voor de wreedheden van de Europese 'ontdekkers' tegenover de oorspronkelijke bewoners van de Caraïben. Velt uiteindelijk het wat obligate oordeel dat we Columbus 'in zijn tijdgeest' en in het licht van de toen heersende opvattingen moeten zien.
October 13, 2014
From the book: "Columbus must be judged by the light of the fifteenth, and not by that of the nineteenth century." The evils of his time aside, the event that publicly connected the globe and continents and eventually led to freedom and liberty being the new standard for the world to strive for is worth noting with a day of remembrance.
January 13, 2016
A must read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews